1. Field
Apparatuses consistent with exemplary embodiments relate to an electrowetting prism device and a multi-view three-dimensional (3D) image display apparatus including the same, and more particularly, to an electrowetting prism device which has increased an aperture ratio by simplifying an electrode and wiring structure, and a 3D image display apparatus capable of providing a super multi-view 3D image using the electrowetting prism device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, there has been an increasing need, in various fields such as a game, advertisement, medical image, military purpose, etc., for a 3D image display apparatus which provides a stereo image. Additionally, as high resolution televisions (TVs) are popularized, 3D TVs, which display stereo images, are being gradually commercialized. As such, various 3D image display technologies are being suggested. A currently commercialized 3D image display apparatus uses binocular parallax, and a viewer observes a 3D effect from different images being provided to the viewer's left and right eyes. A 3D image display apparatus may be an eyeglass-type 3D image display apparatus, which requires special eyeglasses, or a non-eyeglass-type 3D image display apparatus, which does not require eyeglasses.
Unfortunately, a 3D image display apparatus which merely provides two viewpoints, an image for a left eye and an image for a right eye, does not reflect the change of viewpoints that a viewer would perceive in a natural environment due to the movement of a viewer, and thus the ability to provide a “natural” 3D effect is limited. Hence, in order to provide a natural motion parallax, a multi-view 3D image display apparatus, which may provide a plurality of viewpoints, is suggested. A multi-view 3D image display apparatus is an apparatus which provides 3D images having different viewpoints to a plurality of viewing zones, respectively. However, in a multi-view 3D image display apparatus, crosstalk may be generated between different viewing zones, and thus a non-stereo area or a reverse-stereo area may be generated. Additionally, in order to provide an apparently “natural” motion parallax, there should be a lot of viewpoints. However, in the case of many viewpoints, the resolution of each individual viewpoint may be reduced. In particular, in the case of a 3D image display apparatus using a projection optical system, in order to increase the number of viewpoints, the number of projection optical systems should be increased. However, this would lead to an enlargement of the volume of the entire system. Further, a multi-view 3D image display apparatus which provides only a binocular parallax does not enable a viewer to enjoy a 3D image with only one eye.
Recently, a super multi-view 3D image display apparatus has been suggested so that a more natural motion parallax may be provided, and a viewer might enjoy a 3D image with only one eye. The super multi-view 3D image display apparatus provides an image having a plurality of viewpoints to one eye of a viewer. To this end, the super multi-view 3D image display apparatus forms an image having a plurality of viewpoints within an area smaller than the pupil size of one eye of the viewer. Hence, an image of a plurality of parallaxes is always projected on the retina of the viewer, and thus the viewer may observe a more natural 3D effect with only one eye.
Such a multi-view 3D image display apparatus may include an active optical device which may project displayed images on different viewing zones according to the viewpoints thereof. For example, an electrowetting prism device may be used as such an active optical device. An electrowetting prism device is an apparatus which allows light to be refracted in a particular direction by electrically controlling the direction of inclination of the interface between nonpolar liquid-like oil and polarized liquid-like water. An electrowetting prism device includes a plurality of prism cells, and at least four electrodes and a plurality of wiring and switching devices are connected to the four electrodes. Thus, there is a limited area (i.e., an aperture ratio), through which light passes, in the entire prism cell area.